King Cong kaun? Party prez polls could see Rahul Gandhi vs Shashi Tharoor contest
India Today
Congress presidential polls could see a contest between former party chief Rahul Gandhi and senior leader and MP Shashi Tharoor. The filing of nominations for the post of the president begins in three days.
As Rahul Gandhi made a splash while participating in a snake boat race event in Kerala amid his Bharat Jodo Yatra, things were heating up within Congress ahead of the party's presidential polls. As many as seven state units have passed resolutions to bring back the Wayanad MP as the party chief.
Even as the chorus grew louder for Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the Congress, senior leader and MP Shashi Tharoor received Sonia Gandhi's 'okay' to run for Congress chief on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Congress' top brass, busy with the Bharat Jodo Yatra, has reportedly zeroed in on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as its nominee. But Gehlot, who had been pressing for Rahul Gandhi's return, is likely to win support among those batting for the status quo.
1) Shashi Tharoor may run for the Congress presidential post after interim party chief Sonia Gandhi told Tharoor that anyone is free to contest the party polls and elections will be held according to the electoral process, sources told India Today.
2) However, the party workers are rallying behind Rahul Gandhi, who also has the backing of several state Congress units. Bharat Jodo Yatra has brought the spotlight back on Rahul Gandhi, who is walking from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Though the Gandhi scion has maintained that he is just participating in Bharat Jodo Yatra, the posters, banners, and slogans tell a different tale, that, for many, he is the face of the Yatra.
"The party is going through a crucial time. The only one name on which the entire party has a unanimous view—a sort of consensus candidate—is Rahul Gandhi. If anyone else contests, there will be a bitter election. G23 will field its candidate, and the BJP as well as other opposition parties will get a chance to target Congress. We are hopeful that Rahul Gandhi will reconsider," a Congress Working Committee member told India Today.
3) A total of eight state units, including Puducherry, have now passed resolutions seeking Rahul Gandhi at the helm of Congress affairs. According to sources, Congress state units in Telangana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab are also discussing passing similar resolutions. The party sources added that on Tuesday, in Ranchi, a resolution to make Rahul Gandhi president will also be passed on behalf of the Jharkhand Congress.
